Method of and apparatus for making composite fabric



March a; 1927'.

v P. H. WALSH METHOD OF AND APPARATU$ 'FOR MAKING COMPOSITE FABRIC File d Jan. 31. 1924 V .I, an EE- Patented Mar. 8, 1521.- I

.UNITED STATES v 620,307 PATENT- OFFICE.

' ,rnnrcx jn. WALSH, or NEWTQN, massncuusn'rrs, ASSIGNOR, BY manor AND MESH]! nssremmms, TO cano crown conronn'rron, or reason, MASSACHU- sn'rrs, A conrona'rron or nnmwann.

METHOD OF AND AIPPARATUS FOR MAKING COMPOSITE FABRIC.

Application filed January 31,1924. Serial No. 689,714.

This invention relates to the art 'ofmaking composite textile fabric consisting of a base and a covering of fleece. In its broader aspects the subject-matter of this applica- 6 tion is identical with that presented inmy copending application filed November 7 1921, Serial No. 513,311 and the present application is filed as a continuation of the former said application in so far as the sub- 10 ject-matter is common to both. However,

the present application includes certain features that were not disclosed in said former. application, as to which I do not claim the priority of my former-filing date.

According to the disclosure in the former said application and in the present application the composite fabric comprises a base .fabric and 'a covering of relatively loose textile fibers and is fabricated by thrustlng some of the fibers of the covering through the base fabric so that they project from both surfaces of the latter and bind any fibers that have not been thrust through the base. The base fabric may be a woven fabric, though this is not an essential characteristic, since a base fabricated, for example, by felting would be usable for some purposes. The chief requirement as to the base fabric is that it should be susceptible of penetration to permit the fibers of the fleece covering to be thrust through it.

It has heretofore been common to manufacture composite fabric of the character described by machines known as needle- .looms in which a gang or group of barbed I needles is reciprocated to cause the barbs of the needles to pass through the covering of fleece andthebase fabric, the barbs being so pitched or inclined'as to catch some of the fibers of the fleece during the penetrating stroke and carry them through the base fabric but to release the fibers so that they will remain interlaced through the meshes or fibers of the b'ase fabric when the needles are withdrawn.

The webof fleece produced by a carding machine is commonly used. to form the coveringof composite fabric of the type under cons1deration, but according toformer prac tice'the production of the web of fleece and the operation of nee'dling'the fleece to the base fabric have been not only separate and.

distinct operations but have had no relation to each other either in point of time, rate plurality of superposed layers before of production, or otherwise. The thickness of the web of fleece as produced by known methods and apparatus has not been suflicient for the thicker composite fabrics, and

it has therefore been the practice to fold he web as delivered by the carding .machine' back and forthupon itself to build up aresenting the fleece and the base fabric to the needling mechanism. This lapping or folding of the web of fleece has commonly been effected by an apparatus known as a Blamire lapper which operates adjacent to the delivery end of a carding machine. The lapper comprises two travelling a rons one of which receives the web of eece from the carding machine and is reciprocated to fold the fleece back and forth upon itself in mgzagged lapped formation so that a plurality of layers will furnish thedesired thickness of fleece, while the other apron conveys the folded or lapped fleece to one side. where it Is wound upon a roll until-a considerable quantity has been accumulated thereon; The

lapped fleece is then parted, the full roll is carried away and an empty roll is substituted in its place towind another length of lapped fleece. The rolls of fleece, each a separate unit, are taken successively to a needle loom where the fleece, still in lapped formation, is unwound from the roll and laid upon the base fabric preparatory to being-fed with the latter through the needling mecha msm. Y

From-the above description of a known method it will be understood that the carding machine and the needle-loomp'erform their functions independently of each other and that the rate of production of one has no control over the rate of-production of the other; thatthe web of fleece produced by the a carding. machine must be folded and lapped; to provide the desired thickness and. mustbe parted from time to time so that it can be handled incidentallyto removing it from the lapper and presenting it to the needle loom; that the intermediate operations between the carding .operatiop and the needling operation require not only costly and bulky apparatus but require also'labor to perform the operationsnof parting the fleece 105 as it is taken up and wound from the lapper, to carry thefilled rolls of fleece awayfrom the lapper and to place them in the desired relation to 'the needle loom; and that the fleece as passed through the needle loom is necessarily thicker in some places than in others in. consequence of having been folded back and forth upon itself in zigzag courses by the lapper.

In view of the above described known method of making composite fabric one object of the present invention is to provide an improved method of and apparatus for making such composite fabric continuously and at a rate of speed coordinated with, andgoverned by, the rate of delivery of the web of fleece from a carding machine, that is, an improved method by which a web of fleece as delivered by a carding machine will pass unbroken from the latter to and thickness of the covering of fleece in the composite fabric may be obtained without foldlng or lapping the fleece or otherwise subjecting it to any treatment that would militate against uniformity of thickness.

In addition tothe fore oing an object of the invention is to providla improved apparatus to increase the rate of production of composite fabric and to improve its quality with respect both to uniformity and durability.

A novel feature relating to the method consists in conveying a web of fleece as delivered by a carding machine at a rate of speed governed by its rate of delivery by the cardmg machine, simultaneously feeding a base fa ric at the same rate of speed and in cooperative relation to said web of fleece, and uniting the web of fleece and the base fabric by mechanism the operating speed of which is coordinated with and governed by that of the cardin' machine, so that the production of the we of fleece and the fabrica tion of the composite fabric will be affected as component parts of a single uninterrupted procedure.

Another novel feature relating to the method consists in condensing the fibers and increasing the thickness of the web of fleece after it has been dofled, by uniformly crowdmg the fibers longitudinally and progressively, in which respect tlieprocedure is the direct antithesis of a so-called drawing ct this feature of the invention is not limited ,to the production of a composite fabric, since the condensed and thickened web of fleece is susceptibleof being bought and sold as an article of commerce in that condition to be used for any purpose desired. This feature of the invention, in its broad aspect, forms the subject-matterof my copending application Serial No. 16,948, filed March 20, 1925, as a division of this application. Nevertheless,

'in so far as the production of a composite Another novel feature of the invention consists in utilizing a base fabric to convey a continuously growing web of fleece from the delivery end of a carding machine to a needling mechanism by which they are to be united.

Still another novel feature consists in feedin an endless band of base fabric through an endless circuit two or more times, accumulating thereon two orv more layers of fleece, one to each circuit, and needling each layer of fleece thereto before the next succeeding layer is superposed thereon.

A novel feature relating to the mechanical aspect of the invention consists in'a unitary organization comprising mechanism for carding and delivering a welt of fleece, mechanism arranged to attach the fleece to a base fabric, mechanism for causing the first two said mechanisms tooperate at predetermined coordinated speeds, and means for conveying the web of fleece, as delivered by the carding mechanism, at a rate of travel coordinated with its rate of delivery, from the carding mechanism to the mechanism by which it is-to be attached to the base fabric.

Another novel feature relating to the mechanical aspect of the invention consists in mechanism arranged to feed a base fabric past a point adjacent to the delivery end of a carding machine and thence to a fleece-attaching mechanism so that the base fabric may be utilized as a conveyor to complete the mechanical organization.

Other features of the invention are hereinafter described and claimed and are shown by the accompanying drawings.

" ,;,,Referring to the drawings,

Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the cylinders at the delivery end of a carding machine and certain selected elements of a needle loom arranged to operate on the fleece as it is delivered by the carding machine, with means arranged to convey the fleece from the carding machine to the needle loom in an unbroken :sheet.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation on a larger scale including those elements of the needle loom that are represented in Fig. l and including additional elements to illustrate one form of driving mechanism.

Fig. 3 is alongitudinal vertical section through one of the needling units.

Fig.4 is a longitudinal vertical section through a suitable form of mechanism for operating one of the needling units.

Fig. 5 is a diagram including four fragments or areas of composite fabric as produced according to this'invention, said fragments illustrating the preferred method of needling the fabric .by successive stages.

Fig. 6 represents an elevation of certain rolls and means for operating them.

The drawings are made more with a view to disclosing the principles of the invention than structural detail since the latter is sus ceptible of many modifications, and, if illustrated, would obscure the showing. For this j briefly to the well-known elements reason those structural elements that are represented in the drawings are purposely shown, for the most part, conventionally, and while proportions are maintained the relative arrangement of the various elements isshown as nearly as it is feasible to do so within the rules governing drawings for this purpose. y l

A car ing machine, which for brev ty will hereinafter be termed a card, of any suitable construction -or arrangement may be used according to the quality, uantity, and other] conditions consistent wit the ultimate result desired, but I prefer, for certain purpwes, to supplement the usual equipment-of the card with an additional'cylinder similar. in operation to the usual dofl'er. This feature will be hereinafter explained at greater length, but with the exception of th1s supplemental cylinder the cardrepresented in Fig. 1 embodies a well-known construction and arrangement and operates in wellknown manner. For this reason it'will be suflicient, for present purposes, to refer only and operation of the card. a

The main cylinder 10 carries the fibers past the ,usual workers 11, strip ers 12 and fancy13 to the usual dofler 14. eretofore,

in the production of a web of fleece to be used or sold to the trade as such, it has been "the practice to strip the fleece from' the dofl'er 14. and deliver it to a mechanism designed to fold the web back and forth u on I pose is called a Blamire lapper. My pres thickness of the itself in layers to obtain the desired thickness. A well-known machine for this purent invention dispenses with a'lapper and provides other means for increasing the fleece. This is accomplished by supplementing the doflfer'H with a cylinder 15, preferably clothed with longer teeth than those required for the dofi'er 14. Furthermore, the cylinder 15 is driven at a slower speed, meaning peripheral spwd, than the dofler 14 and is rotated in the 0pposite direction. The effect of the cylinder 15 is to retard the travel of the fleece so that roll would preferabl cylinder carriesa sproc I sented by dotted lines,to drive a chain 22.

the fibers will accumulate in its clothing to I a greater thickness than that carried b the dofi'er. It is because of the increased t ickness that it is desirable to clothe the cylinder 15: with longer teeth than those carried by the'dofl'er. As shownin Fig. 1 the cylinder 15 isdriven by a crossed belt 16 running over a relatively small driving ulley 17 on the dofier and over a relatively arge driven pulley 18 on the cylinder. Since the pur-' pose and effect of the cylinder 15 are to con-- ense the fibers longitudinall and since the prior art does not, to my nowledge, disclose an equivalent, I shall, for convenience, re er to it as a condensing cylinder.

The web of fleece, having passed from the dofi'er 14 Y to the condensm cylinder and having been condensed and increased in thickness at the point of transfer, asses over the top of the condensing cylindbr to the point of delivery where 'it is stri ped by any suitable-means such, for-examp' e, as t a wipe roll 20. The periphery of the wipe be provided "with some sheet material t at would not permit the fleece to slip. 'For example, the surface covering might be madeof corduroy, plush, or other material to which the web of fleece would cling sufliciently to.avoid slipping.

The wipe roll would preferabl be driven at the same peripheral speed as t e condensing cylinder.- For this purpose the condensing et wheel 21, repre- This chain drives a. sprocket wheel 23 fas-' wheel 24 are integral, the latter being used to drive a chain 25- by which rotation-is transmitted to a feed roll 26. The purpose of this feed roll will be described at a. later point.

27 in Figs. 1 and 3, is fed directly from itspoint of delivery by the card to a needling mechanism by which it is attached to a base fabric 28-to form the composite fabric, and

accordance with one novel feature of f the invention the web of fleece, indicated at tened to the wipe roll 20. As shown by Fig. 6, the sprocket wheel 23- and a sprocket.

it will be apparent that-the web progresses continuously from the card to and through the 'needling mechanism without beinglapped or parted.

In needle looms heretofore used for needling a coverlng of fleece to a base fabric the viously it would vary according to the characteristics of the base fabric and also to some extent according to the thickness of the.

web of fleece, the simultaneous operation of a large number of needles causes a considerable resistance to penetration. This aggregate resistance depresses the fabric into the needling slot and militates against a uni-- groups of needles successively so that the.

resistance to penetration and the demand for power will be further distributed.

For convenience of descrlption I shall refer to the groups of needles as needling units.

Fig. 3 represents one of the needling units, while Fig. 4 represents a form of mechanism suitable for operating one of the units. These units and their respective operating mechanisms are represented in Figs. 1 and 2 as'arranged in tandem relation so that the needling units may operate successively as.

the base fabric and'the web of fleece pass them one after another. As shown by Fig. 3, each needling unit comprises a needle bar 29-by which a series of needles 30 is carried. The bar 29 extends crosswise of the fabric, and since the total number of needles for making the fabric is divided into four groups or units the distance between the needles in each unit is four times as great as the distance between needle jabs in the completedfabric. Consequently, if it is desired to needle the fabric at distances 1/8 inch apart the needles of each unit may be inch apart. Each needle is provided with barbs 31 near its penetrating end, the barbs being plitched or inclined to carry the fibers throng the base fabric and to release the fibers as the needles are retracted. Each needle bar is carried by a plurality of fingers 32 which, in turn, are carried by a rocker 33. According to the illustrated construction the rocker 33 is made of tubing which affords the necessary strength and rigidity with comparatively little Weight, since light weight is desirable to permit high speed of oscillation. The ends of the tube 33 are affixed to eccentric heads 34, formed on trunnions 35. These trunnions are mounted in suitable bearings supported by the framework at 0 posite sides of the needling mechanism. e trunnion 35 at one end of the tube is aflixed to or formed as an integralhigh speed, that is, from 500 to 600 strokes per minute, byacrank 37, although a block 38 carried by the crank engages the fork.

The shaft 39 of the crank is mounted in bearings provided by a crank-case 40 having a detachable cap or cover 41, and one end of the crank-shaft rojects beyond the crank-case and is provided with a pulley 42. The crank-case is mounted upon a bolster 43 afiixed to a horizontal .rail 44 of the framework and its ends are formed as cars 45 which are bored and tapped to receive bolts 46 for securing and adjusting the crank-case. The two bolts 46 are arranged in coaxial relation and their inner ends are turned to cylindric shape and fitted into socketscbored in the base of the crank-case. This mounting of the crank-case provides for adjusting it in lines parallel to the direction or travel of the fabric and also provides for slight rocking of the crank-case about the axis of the bolts to enablethe crank-case to accommodate itself to the axis of the trunnions 35. Since the rocker 33 does not require operating mechanism at both ends one of its ends may be journaled in a bearing mounted in the same fashion as the crankcase 40 but not having any provision for duplication of the operating mechanism.

Since the base fabric 28 and the web of fleece are fed continuously in one direction at a predetermined speed while the needling units are operating I prefer to incorporate into the mounting of the needling units some provision for permitting the needles to partake of the travel of the fabric while the needles are in the fabric and thus to avoid temporarily arresting the fabric and stretching the holes made by the needles. Accordingly, as shown by Fig. 3, the needle bar 29 and its supporting fingers 32 are connected by springy strips 47 of thin sheet steel or any other suitable resilient material.

Fig. 2 illustrates a suitable arrangement of pulleys by which the several needling units may be operated at a uniform rate of speed by a single belt 48. This belt passes over the operating pulley 42 of one of the needliiig units, under an idle pulley 49, over the operating pulley 42 of the next needling unit, under a driving pulley 50, over the next operating pulley 42, under an idle pulley 51, and then over the last operating pulley 42 from which it passes under idle pulleys 52 and 53back to the first operating pulley 42. The driving pulley is aflixed to one end ofa shaft 9 which extends to the opposite side of the needling mechanism and is there provided with a similar pulley 56 which receives rotation from a crossed belt 57 driven by a pulley fastened to the fancy 13. As shown in this figure the four operating cranks 37 are at four different positions ninety degrees apart, and as long as this relation is maintained the needling units will sure the maintenance of thedescribedangular relation of the four cranks'without dependin solely upon the frictional engage ment the belt with the four operating pulsented grap pins 54 connected.

leys the latter may y a parallel rod 55 made in one continuous plece or in sections as preferred.

A developlment of theneedling is re reically b'y Fig. 5, in which our sections or areas of the fabric are conventionally represented at A, B, -C and D. It is to be assumed, in reading this figure, that the fabric travels from left to right, and that the dots aon section A represent the points at which the needles of t e first unit have penetrated. The dots in each horizontal row represent the pointsat which an individual needle has made successive. penetrations, while each vertical row represents the points at-which all the needles of that unit have penetrated simultaneously. Section B represents t e result after any given portion of the fabric has assed the second needlin locality but be ore it has reached the thlrd. Here the points a of penetration are those of, the first needling unit while those indicated at b are the points appertaining to the second needling umt. It is to be observed that the points 6 are out of line with the" rows of points a with respect not only to the lines 0 travel but also with respect to transverse lines. This stag 'ered relation of the points of netration is obtained partly by setting t e needles of the second' unit out'of line with those of the first unit and partly by relatively adjusting the units lengthwise of the direction'of feed so that the transverse lines of netration of the second unit will be mi way between the transverse lines ofpenetration of .the first unit.

The third needling unit is adjusted to make the transverse hues of penetration coincide with those of the first unit, but here again the. third .unit is adjusted transversely to place the individual points-1c of penetration midway between the points a of pene tration. In like manner the fourth needling 'unit is adjusted so that the points cl of penetration will coincide with the transverse lines of the oints 6 but will be midwa between the points 6. Thus the oints o penetration, considered collectively, are un forml distributed and lie in diagonal lines as we 1 as in lines crosswise of the fabric. Although the drawings do not show any'means for kee' ing'the fabric in a predetermined path it is to be understood that any suitable means may be provided for this urpose.

For example,the rolls hereinafter escribed for supporting and feeding the. fabric may tam r be provided with wrist slip in prefers.

be provided with flanges to engage the longitudmal edges, or stationary edge gages may be provided for "that purposeand fastenedto the table or track al'ongwhich the fabr c moves while passing the needling localities. i

As shown in Fig. 3, the f-ibric is supportedunder the needling unit bytwo transverse bars 58 spaced apart to provide a needling gap 59. This gap is wide enough to admitthe needles and to provide clearance. As

the fabric'travels from the bars 58 of one needlin unit to those of the next it is supported y a lurality of bars 60 extending lengthwise o the direction of feed and supported by the cross bars. The cross bars may be supported in turn by the longitudinal] extending frame pieces 44.

I it bedesired to draw the web of fleece ncidentally to conve ing it from the wipe roll 20 to the needing mechanism or to condense and. thicken it the speed of con veyance would be faster or slower than the rate of delivery. In any case it should be coordinated with and governe relatively to the rate of delivery, according to the result desired, The illustrated conveying mechanism is controlled to maintain a speed of travel substantially no faster or slower than the peripheral speed of the condensing cyl-- lnder. For convenience and sim licity I prefer to utilize the base fabric in t e capacity of a conveyor to carry the fleece from the Eoint where it leaves the wipe roll20 to .t e first needling locality, since such utilization dispenses with the necessity for providing other means to accomplish that purose. Accordingly, the assemblage shown y Fig. 1 includes a roll 61: arranged under and adjacent to the wipe roll to support the base fabric in position to receive the web of fleece as delivered by the wipe roll. The upper stretch of the fabric is supported at .the other end by an idle roll 62 oint far enough from the roll 61 to proviso the necessary space for the entire series of needling units and as much' farther as may be desirable or necessary to provide for any other conditions. Various forms and arrangements of feeding mechanism would be usable to feed the fabric at the same rate as the peripheral speed of the condensing cylinder, and the mechanism shown by Fig.

in excess of the longitudinal dimensions of the ap aratus.

As 5 own, the feeding mechanism includes a feed roll 63 arran ed to cooperate with the roll 26 hereinbe are referred to. The roll 63 may be covered with any suitable material for preventing the fabric from and the two rolls 63 and 26 are ly pressed one against the other I with suflicient to insure a positive feed of the fa ric. Since the .roll 26 is to or formed on a toothed nd would ingly ro 62 would prefers. ly be covered with suitable; friction material by driven positively b' the condensing cylinder through t e agency of sprocket wheels and chains it is, desirable to transmit such rotation positively to the roll 63, and for this purpose the sprocket wheel 64 which receives rotation from the chain may be 7 gear 65. A similar gear 66 aflixed to'the roll 63 completes the. transmission. 1

It is desirable to maintain suflicient tension in the fabric passing the needling lo- .cali'ties take up all slack' andeliminate governed according to the peripheral speed wrinkles as well as to insure a rate of travel of the condensing cylinder. For this reason it is desirable to arrange a ressure roll 67 to cooperate with the idle ro 61. The pres sure of these rolls one against the other would preferably be capable of regulation referably include springs, weights, or ot er pressure applying means having a yielding capacity to com ate for: variations in the thickness of t e ma- If it isdesiredto rovide the base fabric with urorethanone tyer of. fleece the ends of the-"strip of base fa ric will be joined by sti or otherwiserto make it into an endless I as shown by Fig. 1. The slack indicated at 68 is folded back and .forth ii 11 itself in a pile by delivery rolls 69 'the other with yi ding ressure.- Since n'o considerable wer woul be retransfer' the abric from the feed roll! 26 and 63 to the point of delivery the roll-I2 "would be '-capable of. furnishin enough wer. for that pu Accor,

which travelof the fabric would cause it man-n withoutslitplpinugi y providing the rolls 621ml 70 wi p eys an a transmission belt '71 the means necessa to drive the delivj "j' roll=-70 is com leted. f desired 'ning from a series 0 small idle ro s 72 maybe provided-to su'pport'the stretch of fabric rune pile 68 to the tension 1 rolls 67, 'and 61, and one ormore idle-rolls 73 may Y be provided to sup ort the stretch of fabric without running from the cod rolls 26 and 63 to the delivery rolls 70 and 69;

With this or any equivalent arrangement of feed rolls, tension rolls and idle rolls, an endless band of base fabric 28 may be caused to traverse an endless circuit any desired number of times, and .for each circuit it will receive a layerof fleece of uniform thicknessbesince the is delivered to 'it wise-thickened in one-place more than in another. Furthermore, when the second layer of fleece is superposedupon the first 0, one of which is epreferably held ing lapped or foldedor other needled to the base some of its fibers will necessarily be passed through the second and first layers of fleece and still further stren then the bondspreviously made by needling. However, if the card is provided with a condensing cylinder 15 it would seldom be necessary to provide the base fabric with more than one layer of fleece unless it is desired to produce a very thick and heavy composite fabric. The condensing cylinder not only accomplishes the purpose for which the so-called lamire lapper has heretofore been used but it produces a relatively thick fleece without fo ding or lap ing and without requiring parting ofthe eece between its production by the card and its attachment to the base fabric by the needling mechanism.

The illustrated feed mechanism is also usable without any alteration to produce composite fabric having but one layer of fleece; The mode of operation for'producing such fabric would not need to include joining the 'two ends of a piece of base fabric to form an endless band as hereinbefore explained but each new piece of base fabric would be joined to the trailing end of'the preceding iece. The ieces of composite abric wo d then be isjoined as the successive junction points pass out from the cult repeatedly',*and simu taneously supplyase ing a web offleece to one face of said and needling said fleece to the base until a plurality of layerszof fleece have been accumulated upon and needled to the base.

2. That improvement in methods of making composite fabric which-consists in needhng alayer of fleece to a base, superposing another layer of fleece upon that a ready needled to the base, and needling the su erosed layer to the base so that the nee ed bersof the superposed layer will extend through the first layer.

3. hat improvementin methods of making com osite fabric which consists in layin a we of fleece upon a base so as to provi e integral la ers superposed one u on another, and nee ling each layer to t e base before needling the next 'layer thereto.

4. An. apparatus for uniting a base fabric and .a web of fleecejto produce a composite fabric, comprising mec anism' for the base fabric and the web one on the other,

. pulley, drlvin and needling mechanism including a series of needlin units each havin means inclu ing a driving pulley and a elt, said belt being arranged to'run on each of said operating pulleys, and means other than said belt for controlling the operating speed of said units so i that one cannot work faster than another.

5. An apparatus for uniting a base fabric and a web of. fleece to produce a 'COIIIPOSltG fabric, comprising mechanism for feeding the base fabric and the Web one on the other, and needling mechanism including a series of needling units each, having an operating pulley, driving meansincluding a driving pulley and a belt, said belt being arranged to run on each of'said operating pulleys, wrist-pins carried by said operating pulleys res ectively, and a parallel rod connecting sai wrist-pins to equalize the operating speeds of said units.

6. .An apparatus for uniting a base fabric and a web of fleece to produce a composite fabric, comprisin mechanism for feeding the base fabric an the web one on the other, said :mechanism including an idle roll aran operating" ran ed be driven by the fabric, needlin mechanism arrang mec anism and take-us d1 11 k i e r0 to ta e u to be operated by'sai the fabric on the delivery side of said fe ing mechanism.

7. An apparatus for uniting a base fabric and a.web. of fleece to produce a composite fabric, comprising mechanism for feeding the base fabric and the Web one on the other, 85

and needling mechanism the needles of which are arra'ngedto artake of the travel of the work while they extend into or through the latter.

8. An apparatus for uniting a base fabric '40 and a web of fleece to roduce a composite fabric, comprisln mec anism for feeding the base fabric and the web one on the other,

and needling mechanism the needles of which are carried by resilient-means arranged to "PATRICK H. WALSH. 

